Please introduce yourself here!

Hi my name is Laura I am from whitwell tn. I have type 2 diabetes and was just put on metformin. If I can get my A1C down in 3 months then I may be able to come off the meds. I have a almost 5 year old I need to be able to keep up with and just want to be overall healthy again. Hopefully this challenge will help jump start me in the right direction.

Hi I'm Autumn and was diagnosed diabetic about three years ago. My last A1C was 5.8 which is really awesome for me. I am pretty good with the nutrition tracker but I'm looking to increase my exercise.

HI, My name is Dutch. I am a single mother of two children, both adults, I will be 50 on Feb 11th. I have been a Diabetic since I was 30. It runs on both sides of my family. I started this new life style just over three yrs ago. I was weighing about 281 and on 3 meds at that point. Now I am at 227 and take one med daily and one as needed, usually once or twice a week. I have gotten better but have a long way to go. I had carpal tunnel release back in Sept and have been off work since. That has put a big damper on things. But I am ready to get back on the right track. I have not seen the exercises yet but hope I will be able to do them. I have limited use of my hand still.
I look forward to working with all of you.
Dutch

Hi! My name is Emily. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago. My doc put me on Actos but I was having nightmares so he took me off, told me to do a low carb diet and exercise. My last A1C was 5.4 and we were both please. Not much weight loss though and my cholesterol skyrocketed. Anyway last month I was sidelined with another issue and am ready to get back to dieting and exercise. My sugar levels are wacky from the what was going on so it is a struggle to get back down again.
I hope this challenge kick me in the behind and I can get back on track!

Hi my name is Ginette. I am from Browns Mills, NJ, by Ft. Dix. I am a type 1 diabetic and have been since 1993 or 1994. I saw this challenge and I thought that working with other diabetics may be good for me to get back in the swing of things. I have been off exercise for a little over a month now. Or at least not consistent. I have enjoyed Spark so much, I have started my own team. I am enjoying the program but really need a strong kick for exercise. So here I am.

Hello, I am from San Antonio, Texas--yes, we are one of the fattest cities! I am pre-diabetic and trying to stop it before it starts. I am up to the challenge!

Just starting this challenge. History of diabetes in my family, so far I have been fine, but I know diabetic diets are well balanced and a healthy way to go. In addition, who doesn't need to lose weight!! I just finished the 28 day boot camp workout challenge and am ready to move forward into another challenge!

Hello! My name is Adana, and I live in Madison, VA. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes almost a year ago, when after explaining several problems I was having to a friend (who is also type 2), they let me use their monitor to check fasting sugar level, and it was 308! I promptly made a doctors appt, and he put me on metformin. I've done pretty well with changing my eating habits, I stopped drinking pepsi and dr. pepper (although I will have a diet one every now and then!) and sparkpeople helps A LOT!! Since being diagnosed, I've lost 33 lbs, and my b/s levels are where they should be!

But I need to lose about 70 more lbs! My problems are: I don't like water, would rather drink iced tea. I justify this in my head by telling myself that it's made with water, and still better for me than soda!

And, I can't get motivated to exercise! I can't afford a gym membership, don't have any videos, and just don't know where to start! Every now and then I'll turn on some upbeat music and just start dancing!! Guess that's better than nothing, huh?

Anyway, good luck to everybody!

Greetings! My name is Bonnie and I live in ND. I've been a diabetic for about 11 years. I take oral meds. I've gotten more serious about this battle. I joined SP in August 2010 and have lost over 60 pounds and gotten rid of one med. I'm hoping to continue the journey, as I have a lot more weight to lose. Hopefully this challenge will help to continue that progress.

Hi I've been a member of Spark since 12/12/10. It has taken me awhile to get the lay of the land--so to speak. I've joined teams but just saw this one and it is just what I need. I tend to put off exercise and don't keep accurate food diaries. I have a lot of weight to lose and I want to get my A1C down from 7.2.

Hi! I like the term reluctant diabetic - that's what I am. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and have been hesitantly paying attention to it. I'm not on meds and I don't want to be. I see my doctor every six months and so far my A1c has been good. I've decided this year it's time to get serious. I'm not getting any younger, but would certainly like to be healthier. So, good for you and good for me in making the decision to join this group and become healthy!!

Hi, I have not been diagnosed as diabetic or pre diabetic, but it runs in my family and I want to learn good eating and exercise habits now. I also want to share with my mother and brother who are diabetic.

Hi, I'm a reluctant diabetic whom has done not much to help my condition in which i've known about for 9yrs. I have been overweight/obese with that distructive apple shape for all of my adult life. We aren't sure when my type II diabetes kicked in (it has been in our genetic code for over 100yrs)but doctors have fathomed since puberty. Last summer I kicked myself into high gear and lost over 25lbs (that took me from a towering 250 to 222). Right now I am focused on losing my dangerous upper belly fat it is the bulk of my weight, after that I am sure I will have the confidence self esteem, and will to keep it off. I want to be healthy for the rest of my long and active life.
I've been apart of spark for a few weeks now and have lost a few lbs, I don't take oral medication. I am excited to meet fellow diabetics and to get going on this fantastic challenge! Thank you for keeping an eye on us diabetics in this community, sometimes we are ignored or just made fun of.

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and while I knew I was on the road to getting this disease it still came as somewhat as a shock to me. I joined the gym, changed the way I was eating and so far have lost 17 pounds! I am determined to lose another 33 pounds by the time my 32nd wedding anniversay rolls around in September.

I have been a diabetic for a few years now. I've just recently begun to take care of myself. I so want to get rid of the medication. I'm ready for the work involved. Let's go team!

Edited by: CDIANECHAVEZ at: 1/29/2011 (03:34)

Hi! I was diagnosed as diabetic the end of June 2010. Since that date I have lost 30 lbs and hope to lose 9 more. I have used Sparkpeople since October 2010 as a tool to keep my diabetes in line, get healthier and lose weight. It has been a great blessing to me! I feel better than I ever have in many years and my am glucose readings are usually in the mid 90's now as opposed to the high 110's. I get so many compliments on my weight loss and it feels great :)

No problem. When you get this reply and click the link, you'll see a link at the top that says "SparkPeople 8-week Diabetes Weight Loss Challenge". (it's at the top of the page when you reply to emails too under "Team") If you click that link, it'll take you back to the introduction. That should give you more information. I haven't really looked at anything other than the intro. I'm going to check out some of the other forums later and maybe read a few blog posts to get a feel for how things work.

Hope that helps. Feel free to email again if you have questions.

Hi,

I am sorry that I am sending this to you but your post was at the top of the list. I don't know how to post. Can you tell me? I joined the diabetes fitness challenge but I don't understand what it is. Where does it tell me what to do?

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone! I've been a member of SP for a while though I have yet to really use it as it should be used. Got the email about the Diabetes Challenge and thought, why not?

In 2009, I was diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" and I promptly did nothing about it. So, here we are in 2011 and I have escorted myself from "pre-diabetic" to full-blown diabetic with an A1C level of 10.

My doc put me on two meds last week - one for blood pressure and the other for diabetes. It's only been a week for the BP meds & less than that for the diabetes meds and they're helping. The thing is, while I'm grateful that meds exist and that I have access to them, I do NOT want to live my life needing meds for a situation I can control.

So...I'm here and determined to turn this around which means creating a whole new lifestyle for myself. I can do this. And because I CAN do this, I WILL do this. (One of my personal mantras). Hopefully this challenge will be added inspiration.

Jackie

My name is Kelly. I am 30 years old and have 2 beautiful kids. I live in Wisconsin, close to Madison. I had gesgational diabetes with my first pregnancy in 2005 and never lost the weight and eventually was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

My Hgb A1c went from 6.4 last March to 7.2 this past December. I stopped exercising this summer..got "too busy" and gained back 18 of the 28 pounds that i had lost. I am refusing to go on back on insulin(only used during pregnancies) so I've got to get back in the groove! I'm hoping this challenge is what I need to get me moving again!

Currently i'm on 1,000mg metformin twice daily.

Kelly

My name is Eliza Ulrich. I am a type 2 diabetic. I have been exercising for a month now feel better. Lost about 4-5 pounds. Want to lose 89 pounds. I am a small person 4'11" and should only weight 95 pounds. I need lots of encouragement. I was on glyburide but with diet and exercise I no longer need it (unless I eat more then I should or of course sugar), which I am no longer doing. I am trying to take care of myself. I am looking for a buddy, possibly in the littleton,colorado area.

Hi,
I'm Rose. New to SP and really believing that I am actually a "diabetic". Was diagnosed in 2006, but only my morning blood sugars were high. A1C at that time was 7.5. Doc put me on Junovia, (I was in total denial and did nothing to help myself) and it didn't help, so we went to Levemir, just keep upping and upping the dose, nothing seemed to help.
Finally, a new doctor got really serious with me wehn my A1C went to 9.4.
Byetta, Levemir, Glimeperide. She said everyone of her patient's take Glucophage if they can tolerate it, but it gave me terrible diarrhea, so I don't take it. She says it is one of the BEST drugs for Diabetes.
Anyway. my last A1C was up a bit from 7.1 to 7.4
This challenge is exactly the right timing to help me in this new quest.
Want to lose weight, and I joined the YMCA with my daughter, we exercise 4-5 times a week.
When I started I could barely do 10 minutes on the ARC trainer, now three months later, I'm up to 30 minutes on ARC, 20 minutes on bike, and 15 minutes on muscle machines. FEELING GREAT!!!

Glad to be here.

I am curious did your glucose levels go up when you first started south beach?

Hello, my name is Shelley Clark. I have had diabetes 2 for the last 6 years. It has been running out of control for the last couple years. I want to rid myself of diabetes completely. I do walk an hour a day. I would like my inner terrain to be more alkaline, but I have trouble staying away from carbs, so I am going to try to go mostly vegan to solve that problem. I would also like to increase my daily exercising. I need to get serious and soon! I know what to do to bring my numbers down I just have to do it! I wish the best to everybody going on this challenge. GO FOR IT!!

Edited by: SKINNYTOBE2 at: 1/27/2011 (01:54)

Hello! I am new to the challenge. I am a type 2 diabetic. I eat according to South Beach and have been avoiding sugar since January 3.

I hope to get my blood sugar under control and lose some weight.

I am currently on Metformin and Glipizide.

I am so proud of you. One of my goals is to do a 5k by the end of the year. So far I can walk .2 mi before I want to stop. It angers me at myself because I won't do the work I need to do. Good luck with your 5k

Nola I know what you mean. I have all the same feelings about why not just eat what i want. I love sugar but I have found over the last few weeks I can leave that alone better than the white flour stuff. Hang in there because you just might want to do something that you have never been able to do because of the weight.

Hi everyone! :D
My name is Sharon, I'm 48 and my A1C has been 6.2 for the last year. My doc never really said I had diabetes, but put me on a pill to take every morning to keep my bs more consistent during the day. I don't want to hear I have it, but my last visit he said, "people that are diabetic....." meaning me. I'm glad I found this team! :D I have a feeling it will be very motivating! Don't be shy and add me to your friends list!

Hi Fuzzy,

I just joined, my name is Paula.
I have a positive feeling about all this and just finished reading information from sp on diabetes.
I also have peripheral artery disease and nerve problems that are caused by diabetes. Also,
peripheral neuropathy....the boat hasn't sunk yet lol

I do need to keep excersising though. A little motivation will help.

i bought new sneakers to start doing this.

the best to you, Fuzzy:)
Paula:)

I joined this Challenge a couple of days ago and am just now posting to introduce myself. Well I Stephen but most of my friends call me fuzzy. I quite smoking two months ago and since then I have gained back 30 lbs I had spent the former year and a half shedding. Needless to say I was unhappy about that and started to feel it too much too. I started to track my food intake on my own and when I mentioned this to my Mother, she pointed me in this direction (which I am very happy about).

As far as the Diabetes is concerned, I have been diagnosed for about three years and have never really had a problem with my daily numbers or A1C numbers since I went on medication. Actually, just before I stopped smoking I convinced my former endocrinologist to cut my medication in half.

I am looking forward to the benefits of completing this challenge and meeting/making new friends.

Hello Everyone,
What a great group and after reading all the postings I must say I am not alone.
My name is Paula, I am from Boyd, WI...among other health issues, I am a diabetic #2. I have been for a long time. Not aware of this or told until a visit to the doctors two years ago when a wound wouldn't heal....
I was not aware of the SparkTeam Page until today when I was scrolling down the team pages, browsing.
For the most part I have my b/s under control, I have lost weight (thanks to sparkpeople recipes)I need to lose another thirty pounds and seem to be stuck. lol I am happy to say I lost 86 pounds on spark people.

I am ready for a challenge, fun, and a new way to
explore.
The best to everyone and I will be you on....
have a teriffic day....
paula:)

Hello my name is April. I have type 2 diabetes and my last A1C was 7.2. I need to get this under control. I am hoping this challenge will help me get back on track. I need all the help I can get. I do exercise. I love swimming and I have a stationary bike. I do walk some also. I also have osteoarthritis and some days I do good to put my feet on the floor without I killing me. I have found though that I need to keep moving. I work at least 40 hours a week also. I have two children and two grands. I want to be around to see them grow up.

Edited by: APRILLSCOTT at: 1/25/2011 (11:38)

Hi, My name is Patricia. I was diagnosed with type 2 in Jan of 09. My numbers were just over the limit so I was not prescribed any meds. I immediatly started watching my carbs and lost 40 pounds and my aic was normal 8 months later. Since then I have not been as careful of what I eat and did not test as much. Consequently I have gained back about 5 pounds which is not too bad considering, however my bs readings have been too high. I have to get back on track and this challenge is just what I need. Thank you Nicole for starting it and Good Luck to all the participants.

Hello,
My name is Tony aka ORBD and I've had diabetes since 1998, type 2 that is.
I've been up and down on the "control" of the diabetes as well as the "scale".

Right now, I've been a bad boy and not really testing for a while. This challenge interested me since I've been on a good track recently with my W/L numbers and wanted to use the opportunity to get back on track with my blood sugar numbers as well.

Recently I've been doing a lot more walking every day than I used to, but have difficulty with hip and back pain. Also been implementing my recumbent bike into my fitness routine.

Thanks to SP for helping me and others.

Looking forward to more success, not only MINE but YOURS too!

Wishin' each of you all the best in your journey!

Tony

I am Joan and a type II diabetic; I do have it under control for the most part and as long as I keep checking it and monitoring my weight and food that I eat, I do pretty good, but I can do much better. I would like to get off all my meds, but even though my A1C was only 5.2 last time, there was no mention of taking me off, but considering how it has fluctuated while I had the flu, my body probably needs more time to adjust to all the wonderful lows that I keep throwing at it........good lows.......a few around 70 but mostly around 90s....but there are times when I do get up around 212 .....now that was a shocker but easily adjusted once I get back on eating right and tracking food......and checking BS every day at least twice a day

i AM A 68 YR OLD TYPE 2 DIABETIC AND HAVE SET A GOAL OF 2 POUNDS A WEEK WEIGHT LOSS ALONG WITH INCREAING MY STAMINA AND FITNESS WITH THE PROPER EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE GOAL BEING TO BE ABLE TO AVOID INSULIN AND REDUCE MY MEDICATION NEEDS.

Hi - I am Michael with type 2 & in the 8 weeks I would to loss 20 pounds

hi my name is lee i live in se ohio
ive had diabetes for about 10 years just now starting to get it under control with diet and exercise.
its a lot of hard work to keep it under control but can be done

looking forward to getting healthy with you all in the next 8 weeks

Hi! I'm Frances I have type 2 diabetes and fibromyalgia. I'm back into exercising thanks to Sparks but having problems with my eating. I want to do better at controlling my diabetes and be a healthier person.

Hi everyone! My name is Shannon. I am 29 years old and was told that I am at very high risk for becoming diabetic. So I am scared and ready to participate in this challenge. I hope this is what I need to turn my life around. I want to be healthy for myself and for my kids.

Hello!

My name is Maria. I have been diabetic for almost 19 years. My goal is to get off all meds when I get to goal weight.

Hi Pat,
I too just joined and am very new at msg boards. My diabetes has been way out of control as well. Just went to the doctor last week and my AIC was 11.6, it's time to get serious. I just want to wish you all the best and hope that you succeed. It's so much easier with support I think. I have NO willpower. I lost a brother due to diabetes complications, and my dad was on dialysis. You would think that would motivate me. I hate having diabetes, I love food. My doctor told me to stop fighting it. So with that said, lets do this. If you can, I can. Good luck!Wanda

I, my name is Pat and please excuse me as I am new to this thing of writing on message boards. I have decided today to change my life. I have been going in the wrong direction too long and it is time to definitely move in a more positive way. Diabetes has caused many problems in my life including kidney failure and retinopathy. However I have a chance for a kidney transplant, however I need to loose weight and get the diabetes back under control. I am hoping and praying that this program will assist me in my venture.

Hi, I need to get healthy,I had a kidney transplant in 2009 and would like to keep from having spikes and eventually get off of insulin.My A1C 7.5 yesterday and that is to high and my B/S was 210, I would like live and be inspiration and spiritual life for myself and all my family and friends. and keep my my labs in in the range that will keep me healthy

Hello, I am Carie! I live in NorthWest Arkansas (NWA) and a proud,single mom to 2 wonderful children (a girl age 5 and a boy age 4).

I have been living with Diabetes (Type II) for 13 years. I am now 33 (about to turn 34). During my 20s I used my busy schedule, lack of money, and putting my family first as excuses to put my health on the back burner.

After my divorce almost 2 years ago and finding a tough as nails kind of doctor I have decided to take hold of my life, my future, and my health. I have been working hard to get my glucose back under control since my last HbA1C was a 10. My next one is at the end of February and I am hoping for a big improvement.

I was excited to see this challenge and believe it is just what I need! Good Luck to everyone!!!

Hi, I'm Alisa from Washington State. I'm type 2 diabetic. Had gestational diabetes with both of my kids and then decided to ignore it. Saw the doctor last summer when I tore my miniscus and my A1c was 11. In three months I brought it down to 7 with diet. Now that my knee is mostly healed, I am exercising again daily but looking for a bigger challenge to get back my momentum and lose more weight. Need to do more ST. I've been doing pretty well lately tracking my food with SP.

Hi, I'm Joyce. Been on Sparkpeople for just over 3 months now. Known I've been pre-diabetic since October 2010 from a health-fair test. Started testing my BS in December. Working on getting my FBS below 100. I've been doing cardio, but this 8 Week Challenge will be a good incentive to start doing strength training as well.

I'm Heather, I have had diabetes for the last 7 years. After 3 kids I would like to lose some weight.

Hi my name is Carla and I have been a type 2 diabetic for over ten years now and until recently my numbers were good and very stable. In the last few months they have become higher. Maybe its because I am getting older or I have too much stess but my eating habits are out of control. I am using this challange to get back on track.

Hi, I'm Jamie. I live in North Texas. I am a type 2 diabetic - diagnosed about 7 or 8 years ago. On oral meds. I've been on SparkPeople since August, 2010, but my progress has been much slower than I anticipated. I joined this challenge to PUSH myself and try to lose 10 pounds by my daughter's wedding in March.